We've seen the highs and lows of sharpshooting two-guard Gary Trent Jr. during his tenure with the Milwaukee Bucks. From the historic 3-point antics he put on display against the Pacers in the 2025 Playoffs to nearly being ghosted from the regular-season rotation the following year, Trent's journey in Milwaukee hasn't been what they hoped it would be, but certainly hasn't been without merit.
Where that journey goes from here is yet to be determined, as Trent declined his $3.9 million player option to return to the team, officially making him an unrestricted free agent once more. Trent signed a one-year deal to join the Bucks initially before taking a 1+1 to remain in Milwaukee last summer. In two seasons, he averaged 9.7 points, 1.7 rebounds, and nearly a steal per game while shooting 39.1% on an average of 5.6 attempted 3-pointers through 139 games.
Trent was arguably the biggest victim of the Doc Rivers experience in Milwaukee, as the old-school head coach failed to fully understand his players' strengths and weaknesses. Doc ultimately opted to shrink Trent's role instead of finding creative ways to involve him on offense.
Even with this newfound roster construction, there is an argument that Trent could be a valuable veteran presence on this team, but they should not break the bank to bring him back. That makes a rumored new contract extension potentially concerning for Bucks fans.
Bucks can't afford to overpay Gary Trent Jr. at the dawn of a rebuild.
Although there hasn't been substantial reporting behind it, multiple sources on the internet have put forth a rumor that the Bucks could offer Trent a new deal in the four-year, $60+ million range to stay in Milwaukee. That deal might make sense for a contending roster, but it immediately hamstrings the team's financial flexibility, which doesn't bode well for the start of a post-Giannis rebuild.
It's totally understandable why Trent would want to take that contract offer. At 27 years old, Trent has eight years of NBA experience, proving that he's one of the best 3-point shooters in the world, with a career average of nearly 39% deep shooting on almost six 3PA per game.
But from the Bucks' perspective, that deal would put them dangerously close to the luxury tax for a team that has no good reason to be there. It'd also limit their flexibility in re-signing Ousmane Dieng, who was one of the bright spots in an otherwise bleak season, and potentially keep some of their most intriguing young talent off the court.
So while Trent Jr. is a very serviceable player and deserves to be a featured player in a competing NBA rotation, it simply doesn't make sense in Milwaukee anymore unless there are more drastic changes... and we've already had enough drastic changes for one offseason.
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